


True North

by potentiality_26



Category: Escape Room (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/F, First Kiss, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 18:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potentiality_26/pseuds/potentiality_26
Summary: She looked for Amanda last, scrubbing tears out of her eyes as she read the story of a veteran who fell climbing alone-yeah, right- and then almost threw her laptop against the wall when the article went on to talk about hikers in the right place at the right time, about miraculous rescues and brilliant doctors, about the hospital where Amanda was being treated.Treated.Amanda makes it.  Everything changes and nothing does.





	True North

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween, I guess? This is kind of a horror movie. Fills my 100fandoms table prompt #22 (fire). Possibly also my hc_bingo "survivor's guilt" square, but that might be too tenuous.

i.

She hadn’t told Ben what she was doing. She’d barely admitted it to herself. She found Jason almost by accident; he was high profile, all it took was a miserable 3 AM google search and he was staring back at her from an online article, dead of an apparent drug overdose. Before she knew it she was looking for the others too. Always in the dark when her roommate was out partying, always seated on her bed with her laptop cradled on her folded legs, a secret shaking thing.

She looked for Amanda last, scrubbing tears out of her eyes as she read the story of a veteran who fell climbing alone- _yeah, right_\- and then almost throwing her laptop against the wall when the article went on to talk about hikers in the right place at the right time, about miraculous rescues and brilliant doctors, about the hospital where Amanda was being treated. 

Treated.

_Amanda’s alive_, Zoey thought, trying it on in her mind like a beautiful dress that probably wouldn’t fit right. She blinked hard. The screen swam before her eyes but did not change.

_Amanda’s alive, Amanda’s alive, Amanda’s al- _

ii.

Zoey knew she had to be strategic about this. For the first time since the crash, all she wanted to do was get on a plane. Instead she waited for a long weekend, caught buses and spent the night on a train.

At the hospital, Amanda had had no visitors and the duty nurse looked on Zoey with suspicion. She spun a tale of lapsed friendship and hurt feelings and- taking a gamble- dreams of a little more than friendship too, the girl who once couldn’t bring herself to speak up in class easily winding this severe old lady around her little finger. Apparently, Amanda’s memory after the accident hadn’t been too good. She had said there was no one coming for her.

New scars had joined the ones at Amanda’s back and neck, but on the parallel bars they were using to help her relearn to walk Amanda looked, to Zoey, as strong as ever. Zoey crouched in front of them where she’d be in Amanda’s view as she glared down at uncooperative legs. Sweat beaded at Amanda’s hairline.

“I’m Zoey,” she said softly. “Do you remember me at all?”

“I remember,” Amanda said, breathless, ragged, hands whitening around the bars. “I remember everything, I just- when reporters came to talk to me about a rock climbing accident I knew something was wrong. Pretending... seemed easier. I didn’t know if any of you were still alive. I couldn’t bring myself to find out. In case I was the only one.”

_Again_, she didn’t add. Zoey heard it anyway. She heard a noise, too, a low sob, and realized it was her. “Do you think I could hug you?” she asked roughly.

“Yes,” Amanda said, and she didn’t sound much better.

Zoey surged up and Amanda took a stumbling step forward, but the hug itself was gentle as a breeze. Amanda smelled like sweat and hospital, and like the best thing in the world. 

iii.

The first time Amanda walked without crutches, Zoey knew just what she wanted. She had stood by Amanda screaming and cursing, held her crying and trembling, listened to her saying it was too hard, too much, she should have just died in that elevator shaft, died like the others. But Amanda was grinning now, tired and tear stained and beautiful, and Zoey said, “Do you think I could kiss you?”

“Yes,” Amanda said, only smiling wider.

She tasted like the best thing in the world too, her lips soft and her hands clammy but perfect as they came up to cradle Zoey’s face. 

iv.

Ben complained a lot about being the third wheel when they were all together, after, but Zoey knew better. He wasn’t ready for something like this, Zoey knew it though she didn’t quite know why, hadn’t quite had the courage to ask him to look at a picture of his old friends and point at the one he missed _most_. He wasn’t ready, but watching them be happy was making him the happiest he’d been in a long time, if ever.

Zoey didn’t know if Ben cheered harder when she graduated, or when she ran down the steps and threw her arms around Amanda’s neck. 

v.

Zoey had a plan and some money saved.

One day, when it finally felt like time, she and Amanda met with Ben at a café. Amanda was confused but laughing as Zoey sat her down next to Ben across from her instead of at her side. She laid everything out. 

On one side of the table was a picture of a house that they could afford to buy together- two bedrooms, close to the sea, where it was warm for Ben and the coasts were rock and not sand for Amanda- and start a new life. 

On the other was everything Zoey knew about Minos, and how they had covered up the way the others died. There were three plane tickets. 

Ben protested, of course, and quoted his therapist. Zoey could convince him if she tried. She looked only at Amanda, her hands folded in her lap, her head bent, her hair like a bright curtain around her face. Since they had been together, Amanda had taken to wearing it down.

Zoey didn’t know why they had let Amanda live- because she did know that someone, somewhere, had decided to let Amanda live. Had they saved her to make another variable, another possible pawn in their new game? Or was she a peace offering, a sign that they were scared enough of Zoey to want her to take what they gave her and run? But whatever Amanda was to them, to Zoey she was courage and grace and hope. She was proof that true north was not a lie, not as long as you could find people to hang on to. All the fear that had once choked her up and stolen her voice was burning like fuel in Zoey’s guts now, telling her that she could take them all down if she put her mind to it. But Amanda had given up once before, and no matter how many lives Zoey thought they might save she wouldn’t risk it again. She didn’t know if Amanda had remembered how strong she was yet, if she knew how strong they could be together.

“Do you think we could do this?” Zoey asked, looking at her steadily. 

If Amanda said _no_ this time, she would withdraw. She would write physics papers and let this go. She would turn all the power she had found inside herself toward making sure nothing bad happened to the three of them or anybody else they decided to care about ever again. Survival wasn’t everything, but it was important. Worthy. Zoey did truly believe that now. But if Amanda still said _yes_, if she took one more leap of faith, Zoey truly believed that fire inside her could flare up and burn all these sick people alive. _Trust me_, she thought quietly. _Fight for me one more time. Trust yourself, like I do._

Amanda pulled her hair back, slowly, and met Zoey’s eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come see me on [dreamwidth](https://potentiality-26.dreamwidth.org).


End file.
